Men's Soccer

Bears Square Off Against Columbia in Ivy Opener on Saturday Night

Providence, RI- Ranked No. 17 in the country by the NSCAA with a
5-0-2 record, the Brown men's soccer team is gearing up for its
first Ivy League game when it hosts Columbia (4-4-1) at 7:00 p.m.
tomorrow night at Stevenson Field.

The Bears, who are also ranked 15th by Soccer America, 17th by
Top Drawer Soccer and 20th by College Soccer News, are second in
the Ivy League with 12 goals scored on the season and lead the
league in assists with 15. Brown's offense has scored seven goals
in the last three games, as junior forward Sean Rosa (Montreal,
Quebec) leads the front line with 10 points on four goals and two
assists. Senior Jon Okafor (Verona, NJ) and juniors Taylor Gorman
(Freeport, ME) and T.J. Popolizio (Rexford, NY) have added to the
attack with two goals apiece.

Brown's stalwart backline has allowed just one goal in its first
seven matches, as senior goalkeeper Paul Grandstrand (Orono, MN)
backlines the defense. Grandstrand's 0.13 goals against average and
a .960 save percentage ranks second in the nation and first in the
Ivy League. He has played all 670 minutes this season, and has
earned a career-high six shutouts, which beats his previous highs
of five during his freshman and junior seasons.

Brown and Columbia matchup on Saturday for the 50th time, as the
Bears lead the all-time series 31-14-4 dating back to 1960. The
Lions have not won a match against Brown since 1992 (0-13-4).

Columbia arrives in Providence with a 4-4-1 record coming off a
3-0 victory over Delaware in a mid-week contest. The Lions have
scored 13 goals in their nine games thus far, as Henning Sauerbier
and Bayo Adafin are leading the attack with two goals and an assist
for five points each. Alexander Aurrichio (3-4-1) has started in
seven of eight games in goal, and has recorded two shutouts, picked
up 25 saves and has allowed 11 goals in his 692:33 minutes of
play.